During a January 13th public meeting, Nicholas Crawford and Anthony Agudo were sworn in as officers in the Plymouth Township Police Department. Officers Crawford and Agudo were sworn in by District Justice Jodi L. Griffis following a unanimous vote by Plymouth Township’s council to hire the pair.

Officer Crawford has a degree in business administration from Arcadia University and is currently enrolled in the Temple Police Academy. He is the son of retired Lower Providence Police Sergeant Jim Crawford.

Officer Agudo has a degree in criminology from Rutgers University, with a minor in sociology. Agudo is an experienced officer who has served the past decade in a narcotics unit with the Philadelphia Police Department.

During the same meeting, several officers were recognized for their “outstanding police actions during an armed confrontation on November 2, 2024.” Recognized were Sergeant Andrew Adams and Officer Benjamin Brunner with a Commendation of Bravery for their actions during the confrontation. Officers Jonathan Marinelli, Zachary Amato, Owen Keogh, Megan Wieczenski, and Dispatcher Karen Bowman were recognized with a Unit Citation for their support of this same incident. You can find MoreThanTheCurve.com’s coverage of this incident and video here.

Below is the statement read by Chief John Myrsiades during the meeting:

On Saturday, November 2, at approximately 2:00pm, police were dispatched to a report of a woman pointing a handgun at customers’ heads and holding them against their will inside of the Guitar Center in the Metroplex shopping center. Upon Officer Ben Brunner’s arrival, he witnessed several people running and hiding in the parking lot.

As he approached the main entrance to better determine how many customers were still in jeopardy, the suspect exited the store, gun in hand. Although Officer Brunner directed her to drop her weapon, the suspect pointed her gun at him four separate times.

Sergeant Andrew Adams, along with multiple officers, set up a perimeter in an effort to contain the threat and shield bystanders from risk. Although the suspect continued to resist efforts to de-escalate the encounter and continued to point her gun at other officers, Officer Brunner continued to engage the suspect in conversation and attempted to reassure her.

After a prolonged and tense intervention, the suspect complied with officers’ instructions and was securely taken into custody.

Although the suspect was legally carrying a concealed weapon, and had no history of mental illness, she was in the midst of a mental health crisis; effecting the officers’ attempts to form a dialogue and establish a bond.

I am proud of all of our officers for their coordinated method of restraint, their practice of de-escalation strategies, and their wholehearted concern for the safety and wellbeing of all those at risk.

Photos: Plymouth Township